The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta begins Saturday. CourtesyNMT
STATE News:
The New Mexico Tourism Department has created a list of 17 things for visitors to do during Balloon Fiesta week, encouraging an extended stay for the hundreds of thousands of visitors that travel to see New Mexico’s sky burst with color in early October.
The list, titled “17 New Mexico True Adventures You Need to Experience During Balloon Fiesta,” showcases the wide variety of cultural activities and authentic experiences visitors can encounter before, during and after the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.
Suggestions include “Fill Your Tank” (on the Breakfast Burrito Byway), “Cowboy Up” (at the Lincoln County Cowboy Symposium), “Reach for the Sky” (at Acoma Sky City), and “Break Out Your Lederhosen” (at Red River’s Oktoberfest). Also included are nods to several of New Mexico’s famed culinary trails, including “Savor the Flavor” (on the Green Chile Cheeseburger Trail), which was just named the number one food trail in the country by USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards.
“We know travelers want advice over information, which makes list-style suggestions so popular in trip-planning,” said Rebecca Latham, cabinet secretary for the New Mexico Tourism Department. “This list serves as inspiration for visitors and residents alike, and it is the perfect format to help plan a day-trip or extended stay no matter where you’re from or how many times you’ve been to Balloon Fiesta.”
The Tourism Department has published a digital version of the “17 New Mexico True Adventures You Need to Experience During Balloon Fiesta,” on its website, NewMexico.org, and will use social media and a consumer-focused e-newsletter to distribute the list to 250,000 potential Balloon Fiesta attendees.
“The Balloon Fiesta is the perfect platform to introduce an international audience to New Mexico,” said Latham. “This is our opportunity to get them to explore more of The Land of Enchantment between ballooning events, or add a few days before or after the trip they’re already planning. Once they have a taste of what New Mexico has to offer, they’ll be back.”
View the “17 New Mexico True Adventures You Need to Experience During Balloon Fiesta” at NewMexico.org/BalloonFiesta, and find hard copies of the list during the event at the easy-to-locate New Mexico True Traveler Mobile Visitor Center (on Main Street) and at the official Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta Information Booths.
